'Dawa Ghiza Aur Shifa' (Medicine, Diet and Cure) is a health guide, which gives valuable advice on medicines, their side-effects and precautions in case of common ailments. Dr Jah is the author of several books in Urdu and English on public health.
This particular volume is a health guide for ordinary people, for whom it offers some advice, such as how to avoid unnecessary use of medicines, by taking care of your diet. What's unique about the book is that Dr Jah, being a highly qualified doctor, has no contempt for any form of healing, other than modern allopathy, and he believes in hikmat and home remedies.
The book is divided into 84 short chapters. The chapters list commonly prescribed allopathic medicines and disease symptoms, along with list of warnings. In the fourth sub-section of each chapter alternative therapies are discussed with preventive as well as precautionary suggestions to fight diseases. Dr Jah plunges into a terrain, not normally found in a physician's manual: eg take anti-diabetic 'Roti' (made from Methi leaves and basin or flour) and recite some verses of Holy Quran (which he specifies) in order to cure the ailments.
The three chief forms of healing that he advocates - modern allopathic, herbal and spiritual, indicate the way in which many Pakistanis tackle illness. When you come down to reality, all three have a practical appeal.
On the whole, Dr Jah seems to favour the wisdom of the ages (Folk Home Remedies) and divine guidance. Perhaps this is a good advice as a manual for self-diagnosis and prescription would be hazardous, to say the least, given how easily prescribed medicines are easily available. Instead, this book should be taken in conjunction with the recommendations of one's physician.
The most talked about natural healing products in the book are Honey, Olive Oil, Ginger, Black Pepper, Salt, Lemon, Methi leaves, Ispagoule, along with fresh vegetable and fruit. The healing potentials and characteristics of many of the fruit and vegetable have also been included. He cautions readers against the excessive use of western medicines, which may have dangerous side-effects.
Indeed, he discusses this in his very first chapter, titled 'Dawaon ke muzar asraat se kya muraad hai?' He also feels that sometimes an inexpensive local substitute may be as effective as a foreign company's highly priced medicine. The prices of medicines manufactured by multinational companies are 10-15 times higher than the locally made medicines. However, the ingredients as well as the efficacy of both are the same.
He also guides readers to use modern medicines only when they have been prescribed by a competent doctor. This is a welcome caution; one can picture people swarming the local chemists to buy up stocks of the anti-depressants listed, in chapter 50, without bothering to consult a doctor first which may result in drugs dependence due to their continuous use. Besides the 84 chapters, the new edition of the book contains 100 easy to follow effective herbal home remedies, which can be easily followed and applied effectively.
These easy remedies can be best described as first-aid measures, which in most of the cases can prove life saving before going to a doctor/hospital. The recommendations in the book are usually easy to follow. Ultimately, Dr Jah feels that healing should be accomplished through the use of all three techniques. Whatever one's belief, it is a useful health guide that covers various preferences.
=============================================================== Book : 'Dawa, Ghiza Aur Shifa' Author : Dr Asif Mahmood Jah Publisher : Ilmo-Irfan Publishers, 34-Urdu Bazaar, Lahore. Pages : 300 Price : Rs 192/- ===============================================================